As The Visits Go
by Ronnie T.C
Summary: Eve visits a lot. She always has new things to tell the guys. and the guys love hearing about her, and telling her about their lives. And Eve loves hearing it. Friends support each other. But what about when vince wants to be more that friends? Vince/OFC
1. The First Visit in a While

**Oooh-kay… I accidentally posted this same story a while ago, but at the bottom of this chapter was a random sex scene that wasn't actually supposed to be in there. It was a completely spontaneous sex scene that I wrote for Eve and Vince, and I didn't mean to use it in this chapter. I was definitely gonna use it in a later chapter, much later on probably. But it was accidentally in this chapter… But it shouldn't have been. Anyways, you'll see that sex scene again in a little bit if you liked it. Don't worry.**

The first time Evangeline Murphy visited, she was blown away. "Whoa." She had simply said to the new house purchased for her brother and his friends, including one particular rising movie star.

The guys had invited her over from New York for her first vacation in eight months. She hadn't had the time until now, but was still hesitant.

"I can't be that far away for two weeks. What if someone needs me?"

"You'll have your phone, Eve." Eric had insisted.

He hadn't seen his little sister in so long. In fact, it had almost been a year and a half since he'd last seen her in person. That was only when their great aunt was dying from cancer and wanted all of her family to be at her bedside. She ended up not dying, and Evangeline, being a workaholic, felt she had wasted the week when she could have been working.

"But what if the head chef needs me? What if Ma needs me?" she had asked over the phone. Eric was hearing sizzling sounds in the background, and clanking of metal. This told him she was in the kitchen of the restaurant she worked at, as a sous chef. Orders were being shouted out but she wasn't responding to them.

"You see Ma on a regular basis. Come and see me. See the guys. See the house. See the ocean."

"I look out the big window of the restaurant and see the ocean. I don't have time to worry about the ocean. I can worry about the ocean when I'm retired."

"We all miss you." Eric said into the phone, "Vince keeps whining about how he wants to see you."

Vince, who was sitting next to him at the kitchen table, said loudly, "E, I wanna see Evangeline, damn it! Get her to California."

Eve chuckled, "Tell him to chill the fuck out."

Eric was going to respond, when Vince rudely took the phone from him. Vince said to her, "Eve, get your little Mediterranean ass out here. I want to see it."

"Don't say you wanna see my sister's ass, man." Eric said, hitting Vince's arm.

"Don't be a creep, Vince." Eve said to him, "I'll be out there soon. I'll book a plane tonight and be on it by tomorrow at noon. Okay?"

"You better be. We have so much to tell you."

Eve sighed, "No you don't. I keep up with the tabloids, Mister _Head On_."

Vince smiled, but didn't get to respond since she hung up the phone. He gave Eric's Blackberry back to him. "She's coming tomorrow."

"How can you convince her so easily?"

"We have our history." Vince shrugged, "I've always been able to manipulate her."

Eric rolled his eyes and shifted in his chair, "And I wish you wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Well she's just… She's younger and vulnerable and… Vince, you're twenty nine and she's five years younger than you. She's young and susceptible to…"

"To what?"

"I don't know. You're… Charming to her and mischievous and… She likes you. You two are close, and I don't want…"

"What, E?" Vince asked, "Say it."

Eric shrugged and looked at Vince straight in the eyes, lips pursed, "I don't want you to fuck her once and abandon her."

"What?" Vince cried, outraged, "I'm not gonna fuck her! I would never fuck your little sister!"

"You have to promise me that."

"What?" Vince raised his eyebrows.

"Promise you won't have sex with Evangeline."

Vince sighed but looked at Eric seriously, "Eric, I promise I won't fuck her, flirt with her, touch her or be 'with' her in any sort of sexual way at all."

"And you won't tease her?"

"I won't tease her."

_No promises about her teasing me though._ Vince thought.

XXX

"Oh my God, this house is like… Five of my apartments combined!" Eve laughed on the day she got to Los Angeles.

Since she stepped off the plane, she had been treated like royalty by the guys. They had bombarded her at the gate, and then carried her two bags from the luggage carousal to their car, and then helped her into the front seat. They'd eaten dinner at The Ivy and treated her to whatever she wanted on the menu. Then once home, they had set her up in the guest room and showed her around the house. They were incredibly kind, incredibly sweet and very welcoming.

They noticed she looked mostly the same. Nothing much had changed. She still looked eerily like Eric.

To an extent.

They had the same fair hair. Eve's was ash blonde and wavy and hung down to her ribs. They both also had the same blue-grey eyes. Both were constantly filled with excitement. Eve had Eric's facial structure, soft and kind. She had cute dimples and a button nose to top it off.

They shared the same height, too. However, Eric was a little taller than Eve's slim, five foot stature. She was very small. She had a very slim waist, and her hips and chest were pretty slim, too.

They were in the living room now, and she collapsed on the sofa. "Is this velvet? Jesus, I think this couch cost more than my rent."

"That doesn't surprise me much." Drama said, "Your apartment is nothing to boast about."

"Shut up, I've had that place since culinary school. I've gone through everything living in that place. Culinary school, finding a job, becoming a sous chef…"

"That's all the history you've had, really." Turtle said.

Eve rolled her eyes, stretching and turning her head into the velvet cushion. "Seven years is pretty long."

"You deserve somewhere like this though." Vince said, lifting her bare feet and sitting where they were. He placed her feet on his lap and put his hands on her ankles.

"I can't afford somewhere like this. At all." She yawned and added, "Yet."

Eric frowned at his friend and his sister. Vince promised…

"I'm so sleepy." She sighed, yawning again, "Honestly, LA is three hours behind New York. Plus the three hour flight, it's like… Six hours of my day wasted."

Eric shook his head, "I don't think that's right."

Eve shrugged, "Whatever. I have major jet lag."

"Why don't you go to bed, Evie?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, you've had a long day. Just go up to your room, none of us will mind if you go to bed." Vince said to her. However, she hadn't heard him. From the way her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing deepened peacefully, she had already fallen asleep.

XXX

The next morning, she woke earlier than everyone and was already making breakfast when Vince, the first riser of the day, came down.

"Hey, Evie." he greeted her as she whipped pancake batter, humming. She was facing with her back to him and he came in so silently that she jumped a mile high when he spoke. She was startled so badly, she clutched her chest. Batter had spattered everywhere, mostly on her front side.

Eve turned and glared at him, and Vince shrugged apologetically. He thought she looked so cute. She was wearing denim shorts and a white camisole. He noticed that she actually did have noticeable curves. She had always been very slim, with not much in the chest area. But now he noticed that both of her breasts were more than his handful.

Why was he noticing this? He mentally slapped himself. He had promised Eric!

But then he noticed himself drifting closer to her. He had backed her into the counter, and their eyes were locked.

He brushed some pancake batter from her soft cheek, and she looked up at him innocently.

"It smells good down here!"

Eric yelling from the stairs broke them out of their phase. They rushed apart before Eric walked in, and Eve started cleaning up.

"What happened in here?" Eric asked, oblivious to their moment of tension before.

"Vince decided to scare the shit out of me." Eve said. Eric looked suspiciously at Vince, who was good at acting innocent.

"I didn't realize she was still so easy to scare."

Eve rolled her eyes, "I haven't changed since our childhood. I'm still jumpy and paranoid and easily frightened—especially around you guys!"

"Haven't you grown at all?" Eric asked, slinging an arm around her shoulders, "You're still my baby sister."

"I still have a little girl inside of me." she teased.

Eric looked at Vince accusingly, "Hear that, Vince? She's still a _little girl_." Vince didn't answer, and Eve went quiet as she cleaned up the counters. Eric sat on one of the barstools and said to Eve, "So what do you wanna do today?"

"I really wanna go shopping, actually." She said as she put some pancake batter on the frying pan.

"Where at?" Eric asked.

"At Rodeo Drive. Where else?"

Eric nodded, "Yeah, of course, but do you want us to take you?"

"All I really wanna do is go to Neiman Marcus for a few things, like a new dress and I need new heels."

"You're the only person I know who goes to Neiman Marcus for necessities." Vince said, "But we'll take you."

Eve smiled at Vince and then flipped the pancakes. Turtle and Drama came rushing downstairs. Both were obviously just up from bed, with their hair ruffled and sleep clothes still on.

"You guys want some pancakes?" Eve asked knowingly.

"That's the only reason I came down." Turtle said.

She smiled and once they were all done, all four men were eating Eve's famous chocolate chip pancakes happily.

"Eve, these are the best things I've eaten in a long time." Turtle groaned appreciatively.

Eve thanked him and Eric said, "You should sell these. Or sell the recipe. You'll make a fortune."

"Eve, you should make a cookbook. Drama said, "You could make a better fortune that way."

The woman shrugged, "I might have something going on."


	2. A Year and a Half Later

The next time Eve visited, it was almost a year and a half later. However, in that year and a half, a lot had happened for everyone—Eve, Vince, Eric and everyone else.

First of all, Eve had a cookbook published. It included all of the recipes she had cooked for them over the years. It was becoming a great success and she was on her way to big things. She was already almost a Food Network star. Her book was featured on it, and she starred and costarred in several holiday specials, and big events specials like the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Fourth of July, Halloween and others. The viewers definitely loved her. She was on her way.

Also, she had opened up her own restaurant.

She had been working on her restaurant ever since she left culinary school. She had the menu all planned out, the decorations and inside of the restaurant, the name, the venue and everything else. When it opened in New York, the classy French and Mediterranean restaurant was everything that Eve had ever hoped and dreamed about.

They don't know how she did it, but she did. Soon, her sophisticated restaurant on 57th Street was a big spot for celebrities, business men, debutants and other rich people alike. It was currently one of the most talked about things in Manhattan.

The restaurant was beautiful. The outside of it wasn't too out of the ordinary, and looked like every other restaurant on the street. The impressive red veranda outside said in cursive letters _The Big City Lounge_.

The inside was very impressive. The waiting area had a big crystal chandelier. There were three dining areas. They all had different shapes and sizes of tables in their areas and chandeliers all over. This gave the restaurant a cozy, inviting and comfortable feel, yet at the same time a very elegant, tasteful and refined feel to it.

There were chic, elegant French and Mediterranean decorations. Eve was able to blend the two cultures to create the right kind of dining area, the right kind of food and the right kind of restaurant. The restaurant was formal, yet welcoming.

The menu was a mix of Mediterranean and French food. Eve had learned mostly about these two types of cuisine in culinary school, so she put what she knew on the menus. There was mostly vegetable and sea food dominant meals—Mediterranean food. Eve had also used Italian cooking, Spanish cooking, Greek cooking, Turkish cooking and of course French cooking to add a bit of meat. The food was rich, refined and well-made. People loved it.

Eve had become a big success by the time she visited the guys next. She had three weeks off for the first time since the restaurant had opened four months ago. She jumped at the chance to see the guys. She hadn't talked to any of them in what had seemed like forever. But from what she had heard, since her last visit in 2003, Vince had finished filming _Head On_ and become a big star. Eric had told her that they were now trying to get a movie called _Queens Boulevard_.

She surprised them at their house on the day she arrived. She showed up on the doorstep, bags in hand. She hadn't told any of them that she was going or that she even had a day off. She had bought the plane ticket herself, rented a nice BMW and drove over there.

When Eric opened the door, she was enveloped in a bear hug. Three bear hugs and a big kiss on the cheek later, she sat down.

The guys surveyed her. She looked classy in black skinny pants and a yellow silk button up top, along with a skinny red belt and black peep-toe heels, and gold jewelry from Bulgari. Honestly, she looked like she just stepped off of an Ann Taylor photo shoot.

"Jesus, you look swanky." Turtle commented and sat down beside her. She took off her designer sunglasses from on top of her head and put them in her designer purse. She laughed and smiled at Turtle.

"Well, I've run into a bit of money." She said bashfully.

"We have yet to eat at your fancy French restaurant." Eric said, "Next time we go to New York, we definitely will."

"And when will that be?" she asked coyly.

"Hopefully a few months." Eric told her, "If we get the movie we want, then we'll be going to New York."

She smiled, "Well good luck. I hope you make it."

Vince sat on her other side and put his arm around her shoulders. "Now that you've scored big, it's time for me to score big."

"You've already scored big." She said.

"I really want QB." Vince said into her ear, "More than anything else."

Eve smiled but simply requested, "Let's not get into a big talk about hopes and dreams right now."

"What do you want to talk about?" Turtle asked, handing her a beer, which she didn't open.

She shrugged and Eric said, "How about your new apartment?"

"Right!" she said excitedly, "I got this new apartment. It's great! I can see the tops of skyscrapers from my kitchen window… Of course, that means that if the elevator ever breaks, I'm completely fucked, but as of right now, it's working."

"You jinxed it." Drama said, knowing her weakness to jinxes.

"Fuck, you're right…" she muttered, wrapping her knuckles on the wooden coffee table. "But anyways, it's gorgeous. Everything is white—the walls, the furniture, the floors, everything. And there are a lot of windows, so there's so much natural light. And I'm paying like, three thousand dollars a month for a one bedroom. That's almost as much as I paid for that crappy studio apartment in SoHo."

"Well we can see it if we go to New York." Vince said, "I'm excited."

"Me too." She agreed, "You haven't seen the restaurant, have you?"

"Helped pay for it," Eric muttered, getting another beer.

She nodded, "Which I am immensely grateful for, big brother. But you guys haven't tasted the food, seen the inside or sat at the bar. I walk in and think _Jesus, thank you so much, Lord, for making my dream come true_!"

"Is that all that's going on with you?" Eric asked, "The restaurant, the book, the apartment…"

"I got rid of my old Civic and got a Lamborghini." She smiled widely.

They started at this, "You got a Lamborghini?" Turtle asked disbelievingly.

She shrugged, "Technically _I_ didn't get myself a Lamborghini, my… My boyfriend did."

"You have a boyfriend?" Eric asked defensively, and immediately began to fire off questions, "What's his name? What does he do? How long have you been dating? How did you meet? Does he treat you right? Do you love him?"

She sighed, "His name is Benjamin Powell." She said, "He goes by Ben though. He's a lawyer—works at Wall Street. He makes a ton of money from it. He's rich—has three yachts. Fourteen cars, seven vacation houses, a menagerie full of animals, twelve chefs in his mansion—none of which, he says, are as good as me. But he likes sweet talking me. It's charming…"

"When did you start seeing him?" Eric asked.

Eve replied, "Well we met about six months ago after I published my book. It was at a benefit. He complimented my stuffed peppers. Asked me on a date, and after a few, I started seeing him. Two months later, we're really serious, and he's buying be stuff, and I'm loving him."

"So you are in love him?" Eric asked, worried for her sister. He didn't want to see her hurt.

She shrugged, "I said I'm loving him. I didn't say I was in love with him."

"Eric's always interested in the emotions in your heart." Drama said, "Your heart specifically."

"I don't wanna see you get hurt, Eve."

"I know. And I appreciate it." She smiled.

"I'm glad you're happy." Eric said. He kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Eric." She said. No one noticed Vince sitting next to her, his fists clenched and his face set in a stony glare at the wall.

"We should go out later tonight." Turtle suggested to everyone, "Celebrate."

"I could use some shots of Patron." Eve smiled.

"Me too," Vince said stiffly. Eve glanced at him and noted his stoic composure, but didn't say anything like "What's with the stick up your ass?" or "Chill the fuck out, Vince." like she really wanted to.

When they got to the club, they loosened up. Eve had changed into a pretty showy silver dress and very high pumps. She did her hair and makeup more to make herself ready to party.

They all took a couple shots first, and then Eve dragged Vince onto the dance floor. Eve, being the lightweight she was, was already a pit tipsy and it was up to Vince to keep her just tipsy and not drunk.

"C'mon, dance with me, Vinnie!" she smiled and took his hand. He let her lead him onto the dance floor. He let her grind against him. He let her lead his hands to her hips. And he felt damn awful for it, he really did. But it was hard to say no.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"Hey, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?"

They were face to face now… Well, he was still a head taller than her. She was short, even in heels. But she was looking up at him, her eyes boring into his. "Right?"

He smiled. He had waited too long for this. "Right…" he whispered. He leaned into her and their lips almost met before Turtle pulled Vince away.

"I'd say it's time for me to have a dance with her, right, Vin?" Turtle asked. He sounded strict, as if he was hinting to something. He leaned over and said to Vince lowly, "Yo, E wants to talk to you."

Vince nodded and walked as Turtle led Eve away. They were dancing playfully, but not as sexily as he had been with her. Turtle walked her to the bar a moment later for a glass of water.

Vince went over to where Eric was sitting, his lips pursed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What?" Vince asked, although he knew very well what Eric meant.

"Don't fucking play dumb. Vin, that's my sister. You promised."

"What do you mean I promised?"

Eric sighed, "The last time she visited, you promised not to do anything with her."

"That was from her last visit. I didn't know it still applied."

"Well let me make this clear, Vin," Eric downed the rest of his drink, "It will always apply. Forever, until the end of eternity. You can't even try anything with her in the afterlife, okay?"

Vince sighed, going over the pros and cons of this in his head… Okay, so saving his friendship with Eric outweighed great sex. "Okay…" Vince said, "I'm sorry, E. I didn't know."

"Well not only that, but she has a fucking boyfriend. What the fuck is wrong with you to dance like that with your best friend's sister when she has a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend hasn't stopped me with any girl before." Vince said, "And I already apologized. I just wasn't thinking."

"And I accept your apology. You looked like a real asshole out there though, even to Drama and Turtle. You were being a prick."

"I didn't know I was. I'm sorry." He said sincerely. He was always sincere. But you know now he really wanted to fuck Eve. It was almost too tempting.

"Don't fucking do it again. Get a different piece of ass besides my sister."

"You shouldn't talk about her like that."

"I know…" Eric sighed, "Go find another girl. Don't hit on my sister again."

Vince almost said that she wanted it too… _What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?_ She came onto him just as much. But he didn't say that. He walked away and found a hot blonde, and that night, he fucked her. And fortunately, he wasn't thinking of Eve while he was doing it.


	3. One Month and Another Visit

Not much had changed when Eve's next visit came, only a month later, they were surprised at how close it was to her last. In fact, this worried them—it worried Eric mostly. He was afraid something had happened that made her stressed. He was afraid throughout the entire first three days of her visit that she was going to have an emotional breakdown.

She showed up and unlike how she looked the previous times she was there, she looked dressed for LA's heat in denim shorts and a light lace chiffon top.

"Hi, Turtle!" she greeted him brightly when he was the one to open the door.

"Hey, Evie! How are you?" he asked, hugging her.

She smiled, "I'm great."

"I'll help with your bags." He said. She only had one suitcase and a small canvas bag, but he grabbed both and led her inside. "Yo, guys! Look who's here!"

"Who's here?" Drama asked, walking out from the kitchen. He had on an apron, so he must have been cooking dinner considering the darkening of the sky. "Hey, Eve!"

"Hi, Drama," she smiled warmly at him and he hugged her. He towered over her small height still. Not much had changed about her. She'd hair looked lighter, but other than that, since it had only been a few weeks, nothing else had changed.

"Eve!" Eric said, walking in from outside. He was putting his phone back in his pocket and he walked briskly over and hugged her. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahh, I just felt like visiting."

"Did… did something happen?"

She raised her eyebrows, "Like what?"

"I don't know… Did… Did you have like, a fight with Benjamin or something?"

"A fight?" she asked incredulously, "No, absolutely not! We're just fine."

"He's okay with you being here?"

"Should he not be? Look, Ben's in Australia to see an old fraternity friend. He said I should visit my family a bit, so I chose you."

"Well who else is there? Everyone else is in New York."

Eve shrugged, "Well, yeah, we just had dinner with Ma on Sunday. But Ben said I should go and see someone, be out of the city a little. So I came to visit you."

"Unexpected."

"Yeah, is there a problem?"

"Like, a huge one."

Eve laughed a little, "Well what is it?"

"We're heading to New York to shoot _Queens Boulevard_ in a week."

Eve smiled, "Well it's a good thing I didn't plan on staying even a whole week. I'm going down to San Diego to see my old friend Sharron."

"I remember Sharron." Eric said, "She was the tallest friend you had. Like, six feet."

"She could be a model." Turtle said, "E, maybe she needs management."

Eve laughed and Drama said, "Didn't Vince fuck Sharron?"

"Wouldn't surprise me." Eric said. Eve rolled her eyes.

"So where is Vince anyways?"

"Upstairs." Eric said.

Eve looked over to the staircase, "Well why don't I go say hello to him?"

"That's not a good idea!" Drama said quickly as she headed over, "Honestly, Evie, he's with someone up there and it wouldn't be good for you to interrupt…"

He was cut off and she was stopped short by loud moans and screams coming from Vince's room. Eve turned around and went back to them, and sat down on the couch. "Okay, then." She laughed lightly.

"So how're you and the guy?" Drama asked, sitting next to her. She seemed to start a little but was cool and collected in a flash.

"We're great." She smiled sincerely, "He's gonna take me on a vacation to Fiji between Christmas and New Years."

"You guys are gonna be about a year by then, right?" Eric asked. She nodded proudly.

"About ten months," she corrected, "But I'm so excited. I could use some relaxing on the beach."

"You can do that here." Turtle pointed out.

Drama added, "You could relax on the beach all the time if you opened a restaurant here."

She chuckled, "I'm not thinking about expanding yet."

"Don't you wanna be closer to us?" Turtle asked.

Eve smiled, "It's so appealing, but I don't have that much money for another restaurant yet."

"How'd you open the first then?" Eric asked, "Who invested to make you able to create the restaurant?"

"The publisher of my cookbook. He's so nice, he really believed in me."

"So why doesn't he invest again?" Drama asked tactlessly.

She rolled her eyes, "I barely just paid him back, like… Last month! I can't ask him for more!"

"I'll invest!" Drama said, "We want you here."

Eve was about to respond when Vince came into the room, wearing just a robe, and asked, "What are we talking about?"

Eve, since her back was to Vince, turned and smiled, "Hey there!"

"Hey, Eve!" he exclaimed, "Come here and hug me!"

She got up and he enveloped her in a big hug, and then kissed her cheek. "Hey, Vin, how's it going?" she asked in a laid back voice.

"Umm, pretty good… Where'd it go?"

Eve raised an eyebrow, "Where did what go?"

"Your accent!"

Eve laughed and sat down. Vince sat next to her and she rolled her eyes, "I still have it, Vincent. I live in Manhattan you know."

"It doesn't sound as Queens as it used to be."

Eve scoffed, "Oh please! You don't have any Queens left at all! You don't have any accent left at all!"

"It's because I'm an actor."

"_Bull_shit!"

Eric interjected, "It comes out sometimes."

"Quit defending him. He's lost all traces of New York, and—"

Vince cut her off by putting his hand over her mouth. She struggled for a second before going still and furrowing her eyebrows to make her look angry. Vince laughed and said to her quietly and in a thick New York accent, "I am as New York as ever now, baby."

Eve's expression showed nothing as she turned her head to look at Vince. His hand slipped from her mouth and landed on her hand. Eve stared into his eyes. Suddenly, she started. "Oh my God, I forgot to call Sharron!"

"Sharron, your old friend?" Vince asked as she pulled her phone out.

Eve nodded and glared at him warningly a moment before dialing the number. She muttered, "God, what a fuckup I am…"

She left to the balcony and they saw her begin to chat away with her old friend. Vince got up and went to the kitchen, and Eric followed.

"I saw that." Eric told him.

"What?"

"Vince, quit fucking with me. More importantly, quit fucking with her. Eve is in a committed relationship, and you just got done having sex with a girl upstairs. More importantly, Eve is in a committed relationship, so quit flirting with her, touching her, and doing whatever else with her. Do not fuck with her… Or me!"

Vince nodded, "I'm sorry…"

"Well I don't believe you because you do it every time she visits."

"It's just so tempting."

"Well let me make this clear." He started, "Eve is off limits. She's got a boyfriend. You're my best friend, and you can't fuck my sister. Okay?"

Vince nodded, "Okay, I promise I'll stop."

Eric rolled his eyes and exited the kitchen, "Yeah, as if you'll keep that promise…"


	4. In New York

"You left your door open." Vince announced as soon as they walked into Eve's apartment. Eve, who was in the kitchen making something that smelled delicious, jumped a mile high. Something clattered to the floor and she bent down to pick it up, then turned to glare at the guys.

"Couldn't you alert me to your presences a little better?"

"If your door was closed, we would have knocked." Turtle pointed out. They were in New York for the shooting of _Queens Boulevard_, and had visited Eve whenever possible.

"She keeps doing that." A smooth voice said from the hall. A tall man walked out, sealing an envelope. He had a full head of dark brown hair and dark eyes, tan skin. He looked casual in his work clothes, a pair of grey slacks and a white button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up. His red tie was loose.

Eve smiled at the man, then at the guys, "Well I guess introductions are in order. Guys, this is Benjamin. Ben, this is Turtle, Drama, Vince and Eric, my brother."

Benjamin shook hands with all the guys and said, "It's nice to meet you. Eve talks about you a lot."

"I complain about you guys a lot." Eve said indifferently. Benjamin chuckled and walked over to her.

"Hey, we have to mail this to the booking guy," he said, showing her the envelope.

"What is it?" she asked. She read the envelope and made a face, "Yuck. Take care of it for me?"

Benjamin nodded and she kissed his cheek. He grabbed the jacket to his suit. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye." The guys said. As soon as he left, they settled themselves in her living room. Drama went into her kitchen and observed what she was doing.

"What's this?" he asked. Eve was brushing egg wash onto a long square piece of dough, stretched out before her.

"Pasta," she answered.

"You gonna cut it?"

She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, curious, "No, Drama, I'm gonna slap down some pesto and chicken and eat it all in one bite."

"There is no need for your sarcasm, Evangeline. How are you gonna cut it."

"With a pasta machine?" she said skeptically, then nodded to the large sterling noodle maker next to her.

"Well make sure you feed it in right."

"I always do."

"And how are you gonna make the pesto?"

She sighed irritably, "Drama, your company isn't needed here."

Over in the living room, Turtle snickered, "I think _big bro_ is jealous of _baby sis_."

Eric and Vince laughed and Drama sat down heavily on the couch. "I can cook just as good as she can…" he grumbled.

"No you can't!" she called from the kitchen, having heard him. She walked into the living room, wiping her hands on a towel. "You guys want something to eat?"

"I've been in the mood for Irish food lately." Vince commented.

"Oh, okay!" she said, "Yeah, we've got some whiskey in the liquor cabinet, unless you'd prefer ale or lager, and I just made a big batch of mashed potatoes, I could cook up some bangers real quick and we have some leftover lamb and mutton from the other night."

They were quiet to her sarcasm for a moment before Turtle said, "I'll take some lager."

Eve looked at him, but laughed and cracked a grin. The walked back into the kitchen saying, "You guys are insane."

"Are we the insane ones?" Eric asked, "You just pretended to be really, really Irish."

"Technically, we _are_ really, really Irish," she stated, "Irish roots. Granddad Murphy came over with Grandma Murphy only about fifty years ago. Had dad. He met mom, and her Irish roots are all big. Haven't you ever noticed how we're really, really Catholic? How our family is really, really big?" she laughed.

"Speaking of which," Eric began, "Ma wants us all to go to dinner tonight."

"Where?" Eve asked.

"Your restaurant," he answered, and she laughed.

"Of course. They get free food there."

"That's probably running your sales down." Turtle commented, pulling a joint out.

Eve, who was in the kitchen, laughed, "I'm sure that if I didn't let them all eat free there, my sales would be up, but I don't think it's making too big of a dent." Turtle shrugged, and then lit it. At the sound of the lighter striking and the smell of weed, Eve ran in there. "You can't smoke that in here!"

"Why not?" he asked as he blew out a plume of smoke and passed the joint to Drama.

"Benjamin doesn't like it when I smoke weed."

"So fuck him." Vince said after taking a hit. He took Eve's fingers in his hand and placed the joint in them, "Smoke."

She sighed and sat next to him. She took a long hit and sighed. "Shit, Turtle, where'd you get this weed?"

"So we're just gonna go to the family dinner high?" Eric asked after taking another hit, "I was counting on you, Eve, to keep us level-headed."

"It's fine. I used to do it all the time before I met Benjamin."

"What else stopped when you met him?" Vince asked suspiciously.

"Well I stopped smoking."

"Good!" Eric said, "Cigarettes are bad for you."

"I doubt you've stopped yet…" she muttered. Eric rolled his eyes.

"We aren't talking about me, we're talking about you."

Eve continued, "I stopped going out to clubs and bars a lot. But that's because I did that mostly to meet guys…"

"What about being with the girls at bars and clubs? Girl's nights?"

"Well yeah, I still spend time with my friends."

"So he's not smothering you?" Drama asked as the joint was passed to Eve once again. She was sort of curled up into Vince's side, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Of course not. He's perfect."

"Except for the fact that he won't let you smoke weed?" Vince asked.

"He would if it weren't illegal." Eve said matter-of-factly.

Vince nodded, "Of course he would."

XXX

The next day, Eve visited the guys on the set of the movie.

"Hey, Eve!" Eric greeted her when she walked up. It was in between takes and Vince was getting his makeup touched up.

"Hey, Eric." She smiled, "Vin, you look great!"

Vince shot a grin at her.

"Who's this, Suit?" a man with stringy dark hair asked, walking up abruptly.

"Billy, this is my sister, Eve. Eve, this is the director, Billy Walsh."

"It's nice to meet you." Eve said as he shook her hand.

"Likewise." Billy nodded, smiling.

"And from what I hear with the guys, you're doing great things with the movie."

Billy nodded again, "Well I have a lot of passion for this movie."

Eric asked, "How long are you gonna be here, Eve?"

She shrugged as her phone rang. She checked the text message on the screen and frowned, typing something back. "Well I was gonna stay for a while, but the manager just told me the head chef went home sick and I need to get over to the restaurant."

"What restaurant do you work at?" Billy asked.

"I own The Big City Lounge."

"I love eating there." Billy said.

"Really?" Eric and Eve asked simultaneously. Their tones were exactly the same, but different. Both surprised, but in different ways.

"Oh, yeah. My favorite thing to get from there is your tartiflette. I love how it's so smoky."

"Well I'm glad you like it."

"I also love your Quiche Lorraine."

"Yeah, that's a big favorite," Eve said as her phone chimed again, "I really have to go. It was nice meeting you, Billy. I'll see you guys tonight?"

"Yeah, we'll see you tonight." Eric agreed, "Bye, Eve."

"Bye, Eric. Bye, Billy."

"Goodbye." He said. When she left, he said to Eric, "Suit, your sister seems nice."

"She had a boyfriend, Billy."

"I didn't mean like that!" Billy defended himself, but Eric was walking away, "I wasn't… Fucking suit!"


	5. So Much Big News

They heard the car before they saw it.

The _clunk-clunk_ sound that vibrated among them was mind-boggling. The music was playing, the bass bumping loudly. It vibrated the floor and the seats they sat on. The guys went outside immediately and were just in time to see a rusty pickup truck drive inside the gates. It sounded rusty, looked rusty and gave off fumes that smelled… rusty. The whole truck looked like it should be broken, but miraculously, it wasn't. Yet.

"Who the _fuck_ is that?" Turtle asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. As Eve got out of the passenger's seat, laughing, they got even more confused. They hadn't heard anything from her since they left New York four months ago when the movie finished. Eric had called her once or twice, but she never had anything new. She had been pretty busy, and hadn't mentioned a visit.

Then again, she never mentioned when she was going to visit anymore.

She took a bag out of the back seat and said goodbye to the driver. "Thanks so much, Henry!"

"It's no problem, baby," said a man from inside the car. They could only hear him and not see him, but his voice was very deep.

"Bye!" she called to him and slammed the door. She turned toward the guys and smiled widely, "Hey!"

"Hi, Eve," Eric said, "Why are you here and who the hell was that?"

"Jesus Christ, E," she rolled her eyes and walked up to them, "What a fantastic greeting." She gave him her duffel bag and walked past them into the house. "That was only Henry, an old friend."

"Henry… From Queens?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. His older brother, Harry, was your age."

Turtle nodded, "I remember Harry."

"And their older sister, Haley, was Drama's age."

Drama chuckled, "I remember Haley."

"I remember Haley rejecting you three times." Eve said calmly.

"I think it was four." Eric said.

Drama said lowly, "Shut up, E."

"How'd you run into Henry?" Vince asked, handing her a beer which she gladly accepted.

"Well he lives in LA now. I've been in touch with him for about a month or two now, he's a big fan and he's helping me with… a project… And anyways, I told him I wanted to go to LA to celebrate the news with you guys, and he offered to give me a ride from LAX to here."

"What news?" Drama asked, while Vince questioned, "What project?" and Turtle wondered, "Fan of what?"

She glared at Turtle, "Fan of my cookbook, you motherfucking dickhead."

"What's this project you're talking about?" Vince asked. Eric was silent, which was strange, but no one noticed.

"Well…" Eve smiled and looked at Eric, "E knows."

"Are you gonna tell us or not?" Drama asked abrasively.

Eve grinned and stood up, moving in front of them. She turned to look at them, her eyes full of wistfulness and imagery. "Well, guys, I have good news. I'm opening another restaurant!"

"Really?" Vince asked, "That's great!"

"E knew the whole time?" Drama demanded.

Eve shrugged, "He could have told you guys. But anyways, Henry's been helping me with it because I'm basing it in LA and he's worked in a lot of restaurants before, he knows the business and everything. So he's gonna help create and manage the restaurant."

Drama asked, "Who's investing in it?"

"Henry and I… And Ben's helping out a whole lot. Henry is gonna co-own with me, and manage because I can't be in LA all the time."

"You could…" Vince said quietly.

"I _can't_."

"So your money, Henry's money and Benjamin's money is going into it?" Drama questioned.

Eve nodded slowly, "Yes, Drama. Why so interested?"

Drama shrugged, "No reason…"

Eve rolled her eyes and said, "I have other big news, too!"

"I don't remember you telling me any other big news." Eric said.

"I didn't tell you this. But since Food Network and the viewers love me so much, they're giving me my own show!"

Everyone cheered. They each gave her a hug, telling her congratulations and things.

"I'm so proud of you, Eve." Eric said.

"Thanks, E. It's gonna be Mediterranean cuisine, but I'm not gonna make it all stupid and stuff. I'm not gonna be a douche."

"Good." Vince said, "Why don't we go out and celebrate?"

"At two in the afternoon?" Eve questioned skeptically.

"Why not?" Vince shrugged.

Eve raised her eyebrows, smiling, "Because it's two in the afternoon."

Vince laughed and threw his arm around her shoulder, "C'mon, Evie. Live a little."

Eve rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, what the hell…"

XXX

"When am I gonna see _Queens Boulevard_?" Eve asked later that night. None of them had gotten that drunk yet, having only a shot each to celebrate and beers at a restaurant. However, the night was still young.

"Just wait, it's only been four months since the movie wrapped." Eric said.

"That seems like a pretty damn long time." She said. When Eric shook his head, she asked, "Well hasn't Billy been working on editing it and everything?" she asked.

"He finished that months ago." Vince said, "It was at Sundance this January."

"Well how did that go?"

"Pretty good."

"So when can I see it?"

Vince sighed, "I don't know. I might be able to get Billy to do a screening for you."

"I doubt he'll do it." Eric said, "You _know_ Billy."

"He might do it if I ask him…"

"I'm just saying that it's very unlikely."

"I'm gonna see that movie one way or another." Eve declared.

Eric answered her quietly, "It just might not be this visit…"

Eve laughed and then turned to Vince, "So what's going on now?"

"_Aquaman_ is going on now." Eric told her.

She whistled, "Wow, impressive. So what's going on with that?"

"Well Mandy Moore is gonna play Aquagirl." Eric said, somewhat bitterly. Vince smiled.

"Mandy Moore, huh?" Eve eyed Vince, "Huh…"

Eric sighed, "Don't tell me you knew too."

Eve paused, and shrugged, "I'm gonna pretend that… I don't know what you're talking about."

"But you do know."

"Know what?"

"Know about Vince and Mandy!"

Eve raised her eyebrows, "Jesus, Eric, you _must_ be crazy."

"I—"

"Anyways, Vince," Eve cut him off, "I'm happy that you're doing another great movie. You'll be an awesome Aquaman."  
>"Thanks, Evie." Vince smiled, "Looks like we're both getting into big things."<p>

"Well you've already been big, Mr. Movie Star."

Vince smiled, "I'm glad for you, Evie."

Eve smiled with her teeth, and asked, "What time is it?"

"It's barely gotten dark." Drama said, staring outside at the rapidly disappearing sun, "We've got a while before we can hit the clubs."

"Why'd I let you guys convince me into drinking so early in the day? I'd never do this in New York."

"You never do a lot of things in New York that you would do with us," Turtle pointed out.

"I… get nostalgic when I'm with you guys… I fall into old habits when I'm with you guys… I shouldn't visit you guys as much."

"We love you though. You have to visit us often." Vince told her, "And you couldn't live without us either."

"I'd manage," she said. Vince stared at her, shocked. Eve laughed, "I'm just kidding, Vinnie. I wouldn't manage well."

"I didn't think so."

"But," Eve said, "You wouldn't manage without me either."

"Very true." Vince admitted.

"None of us would." Turtle said, trying to ease the look on Eric's face—which was stone cold. Eve smiled warmly at Turtle, who asked, "So how's Benjamin?"

"Ben is pretty good. He's helping out very much with the restaurant and pretty much… Well, he's trying to be my manager now that I've got a show at Food Network. He's making sure I've got everything I need there, and making sure they agree to my terms and everything. He's really persistent and demanding… It's sort of scary," she laughed.

"Sounds like Ari." Eric said.

"Ben's a lawyer though, so he isn't doing a good job of managing me. I take care of everything myself."

"Well if you need a real manager…" Eric coughed.

Eve laughed and said, "How will that work with me in New York and you here?"

"You move here." Eric stated. She shook her head and looked at the sky. It was completely dark now. It was about seven thirty though. "Why don't we hit that club now?"

XXX

"So, Eve, I have to talk to you!" Vince told her over the club music. They weren't dancing, but sitting at the table. Eric was getting more drinks and Turtle and Drama were trying to pick up girls by the bar.

"What about?" she asked, sitting closer to him so they wouldn't have to shout.

"Well… How'd you know about Mandy?"

Eve raised her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"How'd you know we dated?"

She smiled kindly, "Vin, honey, you were calling me all the time about it once upon a time."

"Did I?"

"Absoltuely! You were always calling saying about how you were in love with her and stuff," Eve shrugged, "It seemed pretty serious."

"Yeah… It kind of was, to me…"

Eve frowned, "Well the last time I heard about her was when you said you wanted to ask her to marry you. Remember?"

Vince's gaze turned stony and his voice was hard when he said, "Yeah, so what?"

"Well you said you were gonna ask, and I persuaded you not to, and you promised me then. What happened?"

"I did anyways."

"What? Why didn't you call me and tell me about it?" she asked, her voice somewhat angry.

"I didn't wanna tell you that it was so fucking humiliating!" Vince said, "I didn't wanna tell you that she said no, and that I was so fucking upset, and that I fucking _cried_!"

"Why couldn't you tell me that, huh?"

"Because it was embarrassing!" he yelled.

"I have told you plenty of embarrassing shit!" she yelled at him, "And the one time you're actually embarrassed, you think you can't tell me? What, did you think I'd laugh at you or be a bitch?" He didn't answer, and she narrowed her eyes, "You underestimate me, Vincent. I wouldn't have done that. You can always tell me anything."

"I didn't think so at the time…"

"Well you can, have always have been and always will be able to tell me anything," she stated, standing up.

"I didn't want to tell you. It was stupid. I never told anyone until a few weeks ago. Are you still angry?"

"Damn right I am. I can see what's going on, Vince. Even if you can't yet."

She started to walk away, but he caught her arm, "What's going on?"

"You'll figure it out!" she told him, having to yell again. She spotted Eric coming towards them with drinks and smiled, "Hey, E!"

"Hey, what's going on?"

"I'm just gonna head home! I'm tired, I've got jet lag!"

"Okay!" he gave her a kiss on the cheek, "You okay with catching a cab?"

"Absolutely. Have fun, don't worry about me."

He beamed at her, "Night, Evie."

"Night, E," she looked at Vince and tried to hide her anger, "Night, Vince."

As she walked out, she thought about why she was angry. Vince had always been able to tell her anything. Now he couldn't just because he was embarrassed? Well, she could see he was still in love with Mandy… The only word she could think of for the situation was foolish. She knew he'd get hurt again and she could do nothing to stop it.


End file.
